Wills, Estates & Probate

Administrator

In plain English

The person appointed to manage a deceased estate when there is no will or no available executor.

What it means

An administrator is the person authorised by the Supreme Court to administer a deceased estate where there is no valid will, or where a will exists but no executor is able or willing to act. They are appointed through a grant of letters of administration. An administrator's role mirrors that of an executor: collecting assets, paying debts and distributing the estate, but where there is no will, distribution follows the intestacy rules of the relevant state or territory.

How it's used

Because their father died without a will, his eldest daughter applied to become administrator of his estate.

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